Releasable connector including swivel

ABSTRACT

A connector for releasably joining a pair of conduits includes male and female components having proximal and distal ends and a lumen, and a swivel connection releasably connecting the male and female components. The swivel connection permits fluid communication between the male and female components and also permits free rotation between the male and female components.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/974,252, filed on Oct. 27, 2004, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/529,189, filed Dec. 12, 2003, both titled “Releasable Connector Including Swivel,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in their entireties herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a connector, and more particularly, to a releasable connector for connecting a pair of conduits, the connector including a swivel that permits relative rotation between the conduits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Connectors or couplings comprising quick-release mechanisms for attaching hoses and other types of conduits are known. Such connectors typically comprise a male coupling component which is connected to a first conduit and a female coupling component which is connected to a second conduit, wherein the male coupling component can be rapidly inserted into and rapidly withdrawn from the female coupling component.

A disadvantage of using a conventional quick-release connector to attach a pair of conduits is that the conduits may become inadvertently twisted, tangled or kinked due to the inability of the connector to permit the rotation of one conduit with respect to the other conduit. Of course, this may hinder the displacement of fluids or other materials through the conduits.

In view of the drawbacks of using a conventional connector to attach a pair of conduits, there exists a need for a quick-release connector for a releasably attaching a pair of conduits, wherein the connector includes a swivel that permits free rotation between the conduits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a releasable connector including a swivel in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a component of the releasable connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the component of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of another component of the releasable connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the component of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the interconnected components of FIGS. 2 and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides an apparatus for releasably connecting a pair of fluid conduits both fluidly and mechanically, wherein the apparatus includes a connector having a swivel that permits rotation between the fluid conduits. These fluid conduits may be used for the displacement of fluids, liquids, gases, substantially solid materials, gels, foams and combinations thereof. The connector may further comprise a quick release connection to allow the conduits to break free of each other, for example during an emergency.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the conduits are part of an emergency system for filling an emergency floatation device with compressed gas from a canister. During an emergency, conduits that are attached using a conventional connector may become inadvertently twisted, tangled or kinked, which may prevent deployment of the emergency floatation device. Advantageously, the connector of the present invention includes a swivel that permits free rotation and continuous fluid communication between the conduits, which prevents inadvertent twisting, tangling and kinking, thereby allowing unfettered deployment of the emergency floatation device.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector may be employed as a quick release connection between a faucet and a conduit such as a hose. Similar to the previous embodiment, the quick release connection comprises a swivel that permits rotation of the hose relative to the faucet, thus preventing twisting, tangling and kinking of the hose that may otherwise occur while maintaining fluid communication therebetween. As would be understood to those of ordinary skill in the art, the connector may be used as part of other hydraulic or fluid systems without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a releasable connector 10 including a swivel is now described. Releasable connector 10 comprises a male component 20, a female component 30 and a swivel connection 40, 50. Male component 20 includes a proximal portion 20 a, a distal portion 20 b and a fluid lumen 100 that extends between proximal portion 20 a and distal portion 20 b. Female component 30 includes a proximal portion 30 a, a distal portion 30 b and a fluid lumen 120. Proximal end 20 a of male component 20 preferably is dimensioned to be received within a male component receiving lumen 130 defined by distal portion 30 b of female component 30 and held in place by swivel connection 40, 50. It should be appreciated that proximal portion 20 a of male component 20 may be dimensioned so that there is clearance between male component 20 and female component 30.

Swivel connection 40, 50 permits rotation between the male and female components. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, swivel connection 40, 50 comprises a substantially circular notch 40 in male component 20 in combination with a pin 50 that passes through an aperture 60 of female component 30. Aperture 60 extends through a sidewall of the female component 30 and is located so that it is adjacent notch 40 when male component 20 is located in a desired position within female component 30. Notch 40 extends into male component 20 circumferentially about proximal portion 20 a of male component 20.

When swivel connection 40, 50 is assembled, pin 50 extends through aperture 60 such that at least a distal portion of pin 50 extends into notch 40. When pin 50 is inserted into notch 40 (via aperture 60), the male and female components 20, 30 are locked together such that relative translation between the two components is prevented and the respective fluid lumens are in fluid communication. However, due to the substantially circular configuration of the notch, male component 20 is freely rotatable with respect to female component 30. In other words, the distal portion of pin 50 may move around the circumference of the male component within notch 40 when the male component 20 and female component 30 are rotated relative to each other, thereby forming a rotating interface between male component 20 and female component 30. As described above, the male and female components may be dimensioned such that there is sliding contact or clearance between the proximal portion of male component 20 and the male component receiving lumen of female component 30. In embodiments utilizing clearance between the male and female components, pin 50 may be sized to effectively suspend male component 20 within the male component receiving lumen of female component 30.

Pulling the pin 50 from aperture 60 such that the distal portion of pin 50 disengages from the notch 40 releases the swivel connection so that male component 20 may be translated relative to female component 30 and removed from the male component receiving lumen. In the illustrated embodiment, notch 40 extends around the entire circumference of the male component 20 such that the male component 20 may be freely rotated with respect to the female component 30, i.e., male component 20 may be rotated greater than 360 degrees about female component 30. According to other embodiments, the notch may be structured to extend around only a portion of the circumference of the male component to permit a limited or controlled amount of relative rotation between the male and female components.

With further reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, connector 10 may also comprise an o-ring seal 70 disposed between the male and female components 20, 30 for preventing or limiting fluid leakage between the components at the rotating interface to avoid unnecessary fluid loss. For example, a step may be included in proximal portion 20 a that has a diameter that is smaller than the portion of proximal portion 20 a adjacent notch 40 and o-ring seal 70 may be disposed circumferentially about the step between and in sealing contact with male component 20 and female component 30.

Additionally, distal portion 20 b of male component 20 may comprise a plurality of spaced-apart, ring-shaped projections 80 dimensioned to facilitate attachment to a conduit such as a hose or other conduit. A crimp 90 is further provided to secure the conduit to the distal portion 20 b of the male component 20 around ring-shaped projections 80.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, notch 40 preferably comprises a groove or channel that extends around proximal portion 20 a of male connector 20. Notch 40 is dimensioned to receive a distal tip 50 a of pin 50 after the distal portion of pin 50 extends through aperture 60, thereby locking the male and female components 20, 30 together. Pin tip 50 a and notch 40 may be correspondingly tapered or curved to facilitate movement of the tip 50 a within notch 40 by reducing frictional forces. In addition, a lubricant may be used to further reduce friction between the pin tip 50 a and the notch 40. Suitable lubricants include, but are not limited to, oils, silicon oils, and other lubricants.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, proximal portion 30 a of female component 30 may comprise internal threads 110 to facilitate attachment to a fluid conduit. By way of example, the proximal portion 30 a of the female component 30 may be threadably attached to a conduit such as a conventional faucet or hose. In the illustrated embodiment, proximal portion 30 a of female component 30 is shaped like a conventional nut to facilitate tightening, for example using a tool such as a wrench. Female component 30 further comprises a fluid lumen 120 that is in fluid communication with fluid lumen 100 of male component 20. In addition, distal portion 30 b of female component 30 includes male component receiving lumen 130 that is dimensioned to receive the proximal portion 20 a of male component 20. Preferably, the inner diameter of lumen 130 and the outer diameter of proximal portion 20 a of male component 20 are selected so that they are approximately equal so that there is sliding contact or minimal clearance between the male and female components 20, 30 when male component 20 is inserted into lumen 130.

Referring to FIG. 5, it may be desirable for machining purposes to include a notch 140 disposed within lumen 130 that is aligned with and intersects with aperture 60 to facilitate insertion of pin 50. In a preferred configuration, notch 140 extends around the inside diameter of lumen 130 of distal portion 30 b such that when pin 50 is forcibly inserted into aperture 60 and further into notches 40 and 140, it is forced to deform to the curvilinear shape defined by notches 40 and 140. Once pin 50 is inserted and deformed, it is held in place within notches 40 and 140 by frictional forces. Pin 50 may also be held in place by other conventional means such as welding, press fitting, gluing and/or friction, or interference fitting. Pin 50 preferably enters female component 30 such that pin 50 is substantially tangential to notch 40. A proximal end of pin 50 may include a ball or loop portion or other gripping feature to facilitate gripping by a user.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to substantially permanently hold the swivel connector together. In this instance, it is desirable to cut or grind off the proximal portion of pin 50 that extends beyond the outer surface of female component 30 once pin 50 is inserted into notch 40 so that pin 50 is substantially flush with the outer surface of female component 30 adjacent aperture 60. According to some embodiments, it may be desirable to only temporarily hold the connector together. In this instance, the pin is permitted to extend out beyond the outer surface of female component 30, thereby providing a quick-release mechanism wherein a user may disconnect the components by grasping pin 50 and pulling it out of notch 40.

Referring to FIG. 6, in a locked configuration, proximal portion 20 a of male component 20 is disposed within distal portion 30 b of female component 30 such that notch 40 is substantially aligned with notch 140 within lumen 130. This alignment facilitates insertion of pin tip 50 a into notch 40 to lock the components in place, yet permits rotation of the male and female components 20, 30 with respect to one another.

Lumen 120 optionally includes a tapered wall portion 120 a that facilitates fluid flow from fluid lumen 120 of female component 30 into fluid lumen 100 of male component 20. In particular, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a distal portion of fluid lumen 120 of female component 30 is tapered, i.e., tapered wall portion 120 a, from a proximal diameter to a distal diameter. As is apparent from the figures, the proximal diameter of tapered wall portion 120 a is larger than the distal diameter of tapered wall portion 120 a. Furthermore, the distal diameter of tapered wall portion 120 a is approximately equal to the diameter of the proximal opening of fluid lumen 100 of male component 20.

Male and female components 20, 30 of the connecter of the present invention are preferably made from strong, durable materials such as metals and/or plastics. Suitable materials include stainless steel, aluminum, polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene. As would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, these components may be fabricated from any number of alternative materials without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Thus, it is seen that a releasable connector including a swivel is provided. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the preferred embodiments which are presented in this description for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims that follow. It is noted that equivalents for the particular embodiments discussed in this description may practice the invention as well. 

1. A connector for releasably joining a pair of conduits, the connector comprising: a male component having proximal and distal portions and a lumen; a female component having a lumen that includes a tapered wall portion, a proximal portion and a distal portion dimensioned to receive the proximal portion of the male component; and a swivel connection releasably connecting the male and female components, wherein the swivel connection permits fluid communication between the male and female components and permits free rotation between the male and female components at a rotating interface, wherein the swivel connection comprises a pin extending through an aperture in the distal portion of the female component and into a notch disposed around the perimeter of the proximal portion of the male component such that the pin is disposed across the rotating interface, and wherein the tapered wall portion facilitates fluid flow from the female component into the male component.
 2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the notch is tapered to reduce frictional forces between the pin and notch.
 3. The connector of claim 1 wherein pulling the pin from the notch releases the swivel connection.
 4. The connector of claim 1, wherein the proximal portion of the female component is internally threaded to facilitate attachment to a first conduit.
 5. The connector of claim 1, wherein the male and female components are made from stainless steel or aluminum.
 6. The connector of claim 1, wherein the swivel connection between the male and female components is fluid-tight.
 7. A connector for releasably joining a pair of conduits, the connector comprising: a male component having proximal and distal portions and a lumen; a female component having a lumen including a tapered wall portion, a proximal portion and a distal portion dimensioned to receive the proximal portion of the male component; and a swivel connection releasably connecting the male and female components, wherein the swivel connection permits fluid communication between the male and female components and permits free rotation between the male and female components, wherein the proximal portion of the female component is internally threaded to facilitate attachment to a second conduit, and wherein the tapered wall portion facilitates fluid flow from the female component into the male component.
 8. The connector of claim 7, wherein the male and female components are made from stainless steel or aluminum.
 9. The connector of claim 7, wherein the swivel connection between the male and female components is fluid-tight.
 10. A connector for releasably joining a pair of conduits, the connector comprising: a female component having a proximal portion, a distal portion defining a male component receiving lumen, an aperture extending through a sidewall of the female component and intersecting the male component receiving lumen and a fluid lumen extending from the proximal portion to the male component receiving lumen; a male component having a proximal portion extending into the male component receiving lumen and including a notch recessed radially into the male component from the outer surface of the male component and circumferentially around at least a portion of the circumference of the proximal portion, a distal portion, and a fluid lumen extending between the proximal and distal portions of the male component and aligned with the fluid lumen of the female component; and a swivel connection comprising a pin extending through the aperture such that at least a distal tip of the pin extends into the notch, wherein the swivel connection permits continuous fluid communication between the male and female components and permits relative rotation between the male and female components, and wherein the fluid lumen of the female component includes a tapered wall portion that is tapered from a proximal diameter to a distal diameter, wherein the proximal diameter is larger than the distal diameter and the distal diameter is approximately equal to the diameter of the proximal opening of the fluid lumen of the male component.
 11. The connector of claim 10, wherein a proximal portion of the male component receiving lumen is tapered.
 12. The connector of claim 10, wherein the proximal portion of the male component includes a step including a proximal step portion forming the proximal end of the male component and a distal step portion having a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the proximal step portion.
 13. The connector of claim 12, further comprising a seal disposed about the proximal step portion and sized so that the seal contacts the proximal step portion and an inner surface of the male component receiving lumen.
 14. The connector of claim 12, wherein the notch is disposed in the distal step portion.
 15. The connector of claim 12, wherein the diameter of the distal step portion is approximately equal to the diameter of the male component receiving lumen such that the distal step portion of the male component is slidably received by the male component receiving lumen.
 16. The connector of claim 10, further comprising a female component notch disposed in the male component receiving lumen wherein the female component notch and the notch in the male component are located such that when the notches are radially aligned the proximal end of the fluid lumen of the male component is immediately adjacent the distal end of the fluid lumen of the female component and the fluid lumen of the male component is approximately coaxial with the fluid lumen of the female component.
 17. The connector of claim 10, wherein the proximal portion of the female component includes a tool-engagement outer surface.
 18. The connector of claim 10, further comprising a crimp defining a lumen that receives at least a portion of the distal portion of the male component.
 19. The connector of claim 10, wherein the pin is sized such that a proximal portion of the pin extends outward of the outer surface of the female component. 